BioLumic and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have launched field trials in the Philippines testing light-activated seed technology designed to help farmers protect rice yields while cutting water use and methane emissions in direct-seeded systems. The program advances the technology toward commercial deployment across major rice-growing regions, with support from the Gates Foundation.
BioLumic’s xTraits™ platform uses light to activate or suppress gene expression in seeds without chemical inputs or genetic modification. By harnessing photomorphogenesis as a natural biological switch, xTraits unlocks trait potential already present within the seed, enabling targeted trait activation without changing on-farm growing practices.
In 2025, BioLumic became the first company to commercially deploy light-activated traits in a U.S. seed production facility. The first xTraits-enabled hybrids were planted at commercial scale in 2026 following validation across thousands of field trials, demonstrating a programmable, non-GMO approach designed for climate-smart agriculture.
Advancing climate-smart rice, non-GMO rice traits from field to market
In partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the 15-month pilot program will provide first-stage field validation of xTraits applications designed to improve establishment and performance in direct-seeded rice systems (DSR). The trials are intended to support the proof of concept for future multi-location testing and integration into commercial seed portfolios in India and across South Asia, with broader implications for climate-smart rice production globally.
“For farmers across the Indo-Gangetic Plain, reliable crop establishment is often the difference between adopting new practices versus conventional transplanted-flooded rice,” said Dr. Jason Wargent, Chief Science Officer and founder of BioLumic. “These trials with IRRI are about proving that our unique Light Recipes can help make direct-seeded rice a practical commercial option at scale.”
DSR is a lower-water, lower-emission alternative to traditional flooded rice production, particularly across South Asia where water scarcity and labor constraints are increasing pressure on farmers. Rice cultivation accounts for more than 8% of global anthropogenic methane emissions, and organizations including IRRI and FAO estimate that climate-smart DSR systems could reduce methane emissions by 30–45%. However, adoption has been limited by inconsistent crop establishment and concerns about maintaining reliable yields under variable field conditions. BioLumic’s xTraits aim to improve early vigor and stand uniformity so farmers can reduce water use without sacrificing productivity.
Research milestone marks next step toward commercial seed deployment
First launched in 2023 with support from the foundation, the program focuses on using the xTraits Platform Light Recipes to control trait expression such as early seedling growth and establishment in rice grown in more sustainable production systems. In Phase 1, BioLumic completed marker-assisted pre-field trials showing meaningful, repeatable gains in key DSR establishment traits across 11 rice varieties, including both standard rice lines and DSR-adapted lines supplied from IRRI’s direct-seeded rice breeding program. IRRI runs a dedicated direct-seeded rice breeding program that has developed a broad portfolio of DSR-adapted varieties for South and Southeast Asia, providing a deep, well-characterized pool of lines well-suited to testing how light-activated traits perform across diverse, DSR-relevant genetic backgrounds.
Phase 2 will test those gains under real-world conditions at IRRI headquarters located in the Philippines, evaluating six IRRI-bred DSR varieties across the 2026 wet season and the 2026/27 dry season. Testing across two contrasting environmental regimes will generate cross-season robustness data needed to confirm that BioLumic’s controlled-environment gains translate to the highly variable conditions DSR systems face in real farming. BioLumic and IRRI plant scientists will track crop establishment, including germination and early vigor, alongside yield traits and marker-trait response modeling to de-risk the next stage of field trials and inform future commercial supply-chain development.
“Developing direct-seeded rice varieties that establish reliably under variable, often dry, field conditions have been a central goal of IRRI’s rice breeding program,” said Shalabh Dixit, Senior Scientist, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). “Combining our DSR-bred lines with BioLumic’s light-activated trait approach gives breeders a new lever to strengthen early establishment, the trait that most often decides whether farmers can move away from puddled, transplanted rice, and these trials will show how well those controlled-environment gains hold up across two contrasting seasons in the field.”
Mike Gumina, former Global CEO of RiceTec and member of BioLumic’s scientific advisory board, said: “Direct dry-seeded rice can be a powerful tool to reduce water use, lower emissions and improve farmer livelihoods, but it all starts with consistent, reliable stand establishment. From a seed industry perspective, this collaboration is about generating robust field data to see whether a light-based seed trait activation can perform at scale and support the next generation of commercial climate-smart rice varieties.”
